Carbon Footprint — Operations: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb reports Scope 1 of 1,303 tCO₂e and Scope 2 market-based of 1 tCO₂e (6,060 location-based) for 2023, following GHG Protocol methodology. PwC provides limited assurance over these metrics. Multi-year tracking since 2019 with granular category breakdown. This is verified, comprehensive operational data with a declining trend in Scope 1+2 (82% below 2019 baseline by 2024).

Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb reports Scope 3 emissions of 395,990 tCO₂e (2023) across 7 of 15 GHG Protocol categories, with Purchased Goods and Services (Cat. 1) at 364,566 tCO₂e representing 92% of total. The Supplier Sustainability Program has engaged 80+ suppliers covering ~47% of supplier emissions by end 2023. However, only 7 of 15 Scope 3 categories are quantified, and critically, emissions from host properties and guest travel are excluded from the corporate boundary — a significant gap for a company facilitat

Emissions Trajectory: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb's 2024 absolute corporate emissions remained approximately equivalent to 2019 levels despite revenue more than doubling. Scope 1+2 are 82% below 2019, but these represent only ~8% of total emissions. The Scope 3 target is intensity-based (per $M gross profit), reduced ~60% from 2019, but absolute Scope 3 has not declined meaningfully. Per SINK methodology, intensity improvements without absolute reductions cannot score above 4. The company is growing — bookings rose 8% year-on-year in Q1

Energy Source: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb joined RE100 in 2021 and has matched 100% of corporate office electricity consumption with renewable energy purchases (EACs) for four consecutive years through 2024. Its largest offices in San Francisco and Dublin are powered by local renewable utility programs (California wind/solar, Irish wind). However, the majority of renewable sourcing is through purchased and retired Energy Attribute Certificates rather than direct PPAs or on-site generation, which limits additionality. The company

Nature & Biodiversity Impact: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb is a founding participant in the LEAF Coalition, which has mobilized $1 billion in commitments to fight tropical deforestation. The company invests in nature-based carbon credits including forest protection, peatland restoration, and pollutant cleanup projects. However, there is no formal TNFD disclosure, no quantified nature footprint, and no assessment of biodiversity dependencies across its platform of millions of listings in diverse ecosystems worldwide. The nature investments are pos

Resource Use & Waste: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb reports Scope 3 Category 5 (waste generated in operations) as part of its emissions inventory, but provides no detailed waste data, no circular economy targets, and no public resource use metrics. As a digital platform company, its direct material footprint is limited to office operations. However, the platform facilitates resource consumption across millions of properties — energy, water, cleaning products, single-use amenities — with no platform-level sustainability standards for hosts.

Water Impact: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb publishes no corporate water consumption data and has no water reduction targets. As a platform company, its direct office water use is minimal. However, the company facilitates stays across millions of properties, many in water-stressed regions. Academic research has examined the water inequality impacts of Airbnb properties, particularly in water-scarce contexts like Cape Town. Airbnb's climate contribution tool in Germany includes water-related methodology (SQUAKE) but this is limited

Targets & Commitments: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb has SBTi-validated near-term targets: absolute Scope 1+2 reduction of 78.4% by 2030 (from 2019) and Scope 3 intensity reduction of 55% per $M gross profit by 2030. The company has already exceeded both targets ahead of schedule. It has a net zero by 2030 corporate operations goal with a reduction-first approach supplemented by nature-based carbon credits. However, the Scope 3 target is intensity-based, not absolute — a significant limitation given SINK methodology penalises this. The comp

Transparency & Accountability: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

Airbnb publishes annual sustainability updates (2022, 2023, 2024/2025), discloses emissions data with PwC limited assurance, follows GHG Protocol methodology, and partners with Watershed as a third-party sustainability consultant. The company reports to CDP and is an RE100 member. The 10-K filing references climate goals including net zero by 2030. However, there is no TCFD or CSRD-aligned disclosure identified, no executive compensation linked to sustainability targets disclosed, and no board-l

Controversies & Red Flags: How does Airbnb, Inc. score?

No greenwashing lawsuits or regulatory environmental fines identified against Airbnb. However, credible criticism exists from multiple sources: Tourism Review, Skift, and academic researchers have noted that Airbnb's net-zero target excludes emissions from host stays and guest travel, which represent the vast majority of the platform's actual environmental impact. Karma Wallet rates Airbnb 2/16 on sustainability. The Scope 3 intensity-based target rather than absolute is a mild greenwashing indi

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Airbnb, Inc. Sustainability Score: 47/100

◌ Pending Review

🏠 E-commerce / Online RetailUSMaking progress

~7,300 employees~$11B revenue397Kt CO₂e totalRanked #111 of 503Website ↗

Airbnb, Inc. is a e-commerce / online retail company headquartered in US with total reported emissions of 397Kt CO₂e per year. Based on our 10-question rubric, Airbnb, Inc. scores 47/100 — rated as making progress on sustainability but with room to improve.

SINK Score Breakdown

How we calculated Airbnb, Inc.'s score using our formula: (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale Penalty

Base Impact

E-commerce / Online Retail industry ceiling

Performance

53/100

10 questions scored below

Scale Penalty

0.95x

emissions volume multiplier

SINK Score

(0.3 × 40 + 0.7 × 53) × 0.95 = 47

Emissions Breakdown

Scope 1

1Kt

Direct emissions

Scope 2

Energy (purchased)

Scope 3

396Kt

Value chain

Total

397Kt

CO₂e per year

10-Question Rubric Breakdown

Click any question to see the reasoning, sources and community challenges.

8/10

Carbon Footprint — Operations

6/10

Carbon Footprint — Supply Chain

4/10

Emissions Trajectory

7/10

Energy Source

4/10

Nature & Biodiversity Impact

3/10

Resource Use & Waste

2/10

Water Impact

6/10

Targets & Commitments

6/10

Transparency & Accountability

Q10

7/10

Controversies & Red Flags

Community Verification

0 verifications · 0 challenges · Scored using SINK editorial review

Last scored: 4 Apr 2026

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